Saturday, September 17, 2016

PCG Scare Mongering Against Immigrants (September 9, 2016)

So Dwight Falk and Grant Turgeon (Gerald Flurry's grandson) hosted another radio broadcast. Let's take a little look. (Trumpet Radio Live, September 9, 2016.)

It is stated that we are living in a time like the days just before World War II.

There is fear mongering about German military expansion. Meanwhile in the real world the United States is still by far the most powerful military power in the world.

Exploiting Suffering European Jews

They discuss a Breitbart article, a right wing media outlet that has been quoted in PCG's writings in at least twenty articles since 2006, discussing Jews being persecuted in Europe and migrating from there at record levels (31 minutes).

One wonders if PCG's 1% have ever discussed what has recently been said about a certain individual involved with that media outlet.

At one point it is mentioned that there are millions of Muslims in France. Unfortunately PCG has a long history of demonizing Muslims in general.

Cites Danny Danon, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.

At one point Falk says anti-Semitism is popular. (33 minutes.)

Bigotry of all forms, including anti-Semitisim, must be most stridently opposed. To cite the anxiety and fear of many European Jews at present to promote the paranoid idea that some sort of World War III will soon erupt in which the United States is destroyed by a German led European Union (as is taught elsewhere in PCG's writings) is a shameful exploitation of their fears and of the tense situation they are in. They need helpful solutions, not being used as a prop to promote PCG's message of doom for non-members.

There are many problems today but a nuclear war of the sort that PCG preaches is most unlikely.

Scare Mongering Against Immigrants

Starting at 34 minutes they then discuss a story about a Mongolian woman who falsely told the police that she was being stalked by her boyfriend. The story is from Fox News. They then go into a rant about illegal immigrants, feminists, liberals, people saying Trump says racist things, etc.

[Grant Turgeon:] They're still fast tracked to citizenship despite, even if they, even if they're proved wrong. So it is quite extraordinary that we have laws like that in this country that would make such a thing possible.

[Dwight Falk:] I think that's a great example of people coming into the nation and seeing a way to manipulate it to stay. I mean they know that the popular thinking is, you know, "Oh, the persecution. Oh, the inequality." And all of that. Which if you're not a citizen that's a ridiculous comment anyway. You don't, I mean, yeah, a citizen.

But you can see how they know that people are sympathetic. They know that people are going to jump onboard with it. So they are just playing the system. Do they actually feel that way? Like they're being taken advantage of? Of course not. But they, it doesn't matter because they are playing the media and that liberal thinking against itself for their own advantage. And they're just being played for fools, quite frankly, and going along with it.

[Turgeon:] People from afar, all over the world, can see that we're easily taken advantage of now in these areas. (37-38 minutes.)

Turgeon then complains about feminists describing a rape culture making a clumsy comparison with immigrants allegedly trying to gain citizenship on false pretenses.

[Turgeon:] It reminds me a lot actually of the feminist cause of, you know, promoting or saying there's a rape culture in society and how anytime a girl said someone raped her she should be believed. There are cases where the girl's been raped. There's also a lot, a lot of times where it's just an accusation. And they're even distorting the definition of rape to mean regret after the fact and that's still rape somehow. It's just a ... there's no truth involved. I think that's the whole crux of the issue. There's no truth but it's just exploiting a system, gaining the status of victim hood which is pretty much the height [of] status in America today. (38-39 minutes.)

What a terribly bad choice of talking about this most serious issue with immigrants in this context. It would have been better to bring up another topic in such a conversation.

Then Falk lambaste people who call Trump racist.

[Falk:] If you ask a lot of people about, say, a Donald Trump they'll say well that he's a racist and a bigot. And say well what did that, you know, he say that well that is that way. And they don't have anything or an, "I don't know." Or they'll say that he wants to build a wall. But again they've just heard it. It's just the thing to say. They don't even really know. They don't have any thoughts on it personally about how that works logically. It's just the thing to say. (39 minutes.)

There is already a border there with fences and guards monitoring it. Under President Obama deportations have reached record levels. But PCG leans far to the right so they are not inclined to note facts like that.

Perhaps he should recall how Joel Hilliker described Trump when he first discussed his presidential campaign.

And they [voters] are so disenchanted with politics as usual that they’re willing to overlook this man’s considerable flaws—his arrogance, his narcissism, his public, petty, childish insults. (Joel Hilliker, How Much Confidence Do You Have in America’s Political Process?, October 9, 2015.)

PCG's 1% tend to live cocooned in an information bubble of media sources they choose to trust which tend to lean to the political right. I do not condemn PCG for choosing to be right wing but it is important to note that they are right wing. Perhaps this radio host should get out of this right wing information bubble and listen to people who condemn Trump. Here is one example listing 176 complaints about Trump.

They then go into more scare mongering about immigrants supposedly getting into relationships to gain citizenship in the United States. Turgeon even claims that "plenty of Hispanics" support Trump's proposal to build a wall.

[Turgeon:] That's why there are plenty of Hispanics who actually do support Donald Trump's plan to build the wall. They're here legally. That's the difference. The ones here legally actually largely would support Donald Trump. ... Now they're seeing people just flood across the border and being allowed to stay. That would obviously be infuriating to a lot of them. It's not that these are policies against all races and all immigrants and that we don't want anybody here. But the ones who that are coming here illegally and then causing problems while they're here. Why should we put up with it? (45-46 minutes.)

And right after that Falk then criticize those who oppose Trump's proposal to build a wall.

It's so funny if people get upset at building a barrier because everybody has a barrier. If you have a house or a place of residence what is it ... what is it made up of? A series of walls. Why are they there? It's so other people can't get in. (46 minutes.)

There is already a barrier at the border and deportation levels have reached record highs under President Obama. Furthermore a house is not like a nation state. This is a false equivalence.

And so we see that PCG's leaders continue to peddle fear and despair to their followers. But there is no need to fear their dire proclamations. PCG's leaders are but false prophets.

If You are new please read this

Hand in Hand for Syria

Keep Somalia's Remittances Open

I encourage readers to sign this petition from Oxfam calling upon the U.S. government to let the Somali diaspora continue to send remittance to their loved ones in Somalia.

Moves have been made to shut down such remittances from Somalis in America. Many Somalis need these remittances. The remittances to Somalia are larger than foreign aid contributions and are a lifeline to these people caught in trouble and turmoil.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

What sort of man is he? A man who could say things like this.

"Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." (Roderick C. Meredith, Pastor's Report, May 21, 1979, pp. 1-2.)

David Robinson on Roderick C. Meredith

"During the ten years I have been an employee of the Worldwide Church, you have been poorly spoken of by most of the ministers and employees I have known. I vividly remember the absolute unbounded glee that was openly expressed by a good number of respected men in the church when you were first "shanghaied." [In 1972.] I could begin by naming names, which I am sure would shock you. I was one of the few who stood, where possible, for you. Your tenure as superintendent of ministers, as I believe the office was then called, was looked on as nightmarish. While you held office during the years of growth, most of those whom I know gave you very little credit for that growth. Almost everyone whom I know, whether they be former friends of yours, or continuing foes, recalls insensitive and terrible things you have done. Without exception, at least among my acquaintances, they all credit you with an unbridled lust for power and list you as one who is willing to pay the price of gaining that power, no matter what. I have, through many of the last few years, believed you had principles you would not violate. Many a man of experience in the church assured me of my error. Events have proven me wrong and them right. Mr. Armstrong has himself been widely quoted as saying of you that you were so righteous that you were so "righteous you were unrighteous." " (David Robinson, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, Chapter 16, p. 207.)

Of course it is impossible for me to personally verify these assertions but people deserve to know what this knowledgeable man had to say about him.